What are the Adderall Addiction Symptoms?

onJuly 5, 2011

Drugs are made to help people with their conditions and diseases. But the problem with many types of drugs is that they are easily abused by people. There are a lot of highly addictive drugs available today. And despite the need for prescriptions in order to acquire these drugs, people still end up abusing the drugs and eventually getting addicted to the drugs.

One particular drug that gets people addicted to it is the Adderall drug. But how do you know whether or not a person is already addicted to this drug? What are the Adderall addiction symptoms?

What is Adderall?

Adderall is a stimulant used to treat people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It is a central nervous system stimulant that affects the brain and the nerves, which help control hyperactivity and impulses. Adderall may also be used to treat other diseases and conditions, like depression.

Adderall induces a sense of alertness and increases one’s ability to concentrate. Many people who use Adderall find themselves to be able to function properly or better than without it.

The generic name of Adderall is amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. And like any other amphetamine, Adderall increases the focus, energy, and alertness of the individual taking the medication. And this is mainly why Adderall is abused by people. It gets them to focus on

the task ahead of them. College students find this drug very appealing, especially when exam weeks are coming. Some also use Adderall as a party drug because of the dextroamphetamine that creates a feeling of well-being, confidence and enhanced libido. It enables people to go for extended periods of time without sleep. Adderall is also considered as a weight-loss drug by some because of its side effect that makes you lose your appetite.

Symptoms of Adderall addiction

Adderall is abused whenever it is taken outside of the prescribed dosage. It also considered as Adderall abuse if you take the drug even without a prescription, faking symptoms of ADHD or other conditions to get a prescription, and using Adderall for purposes other than for which it is intended. These are all signs of abuse of Adderall and abuse just a step away from addiction.

Abusing Adderall leads to Adderall addiction as you take more and more of the drug, whether or not you have a prescription for it. So seeing symptoms or signs of Adderall abuse is similar to seeing symptoms of Adderall addiction. When someone is addicted to Adderall, he or she will end up buying Adderall illegally, taking more than the prescribed amount, taking Adderall for purposes other than treating ADHD, narcolepsy, and other conditions, and taking the drug in other ways such as snorting, smoking, and injecting. And all of these signs are easier to tell if that person is close enough to you and if you are aware of his/her activities. But if the person is a good liar or hiding things from you, how can you tell that someone is addicted to Adderall?

Dependence on Adderall is a sign of addiction. If the person finds it difficult to cope with daily situations and to feel normal without the drug, then that person is already addicted to Adderall. And you can tell that they find these difficult if they cannot focus on the work given to them or they become irritable.

Addiction to Adderall also results to difficulty of or problems with sleeping, paranoia, anxiety, and a hyper-energetic aroused or manic state. Unhealthy weight loss is also another Adderall addiction symptom since weight loss is one of the drug’s side effects. An increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature can also be signs of Adderall addiction. These are potentially dangerous especially if the drug is snorted. Depression is also observed in some people with Adderall addiction, especially those who try to withdraw from Adderall.

Abusing Adderall can lead to tolerance. A person addicted to Adderall will need larger and larger amounts of Adderall in order to feel the effects of the drug. This physical tolerance is dangerous as this would eventually lead to getting overdosed.